So, it seems like I need to get way more protein in my diet. I'm doing my meal plan on Calorieking and this is the breakdown it recommends for me:
142 g carbs
34 g fat
109 g protein
25 g fiber

I've gone over the carbs and the fat everyday this week, but I can't even come close to the protein. Any suggestions on how to get more lean protein into my diet? How does one even get 109g protein in??

As full disclosure, I used to be a vegetarian, and even though I eat meat now, I'm really picky about it. I don't really like chicken, which complicates things greatly and I never eat ground beef. I do love seafood though.

Ideas, anyone??

If you have a salad for lunch, add some grilled chicken to it, try adding double what you'd normally add.

That's one thing I have done to add more protein, like if I have a salad I'll have a large grilled chicken breast on the side.

On weekends I eat 2 eggs each day for breakfast.

I'd just start making sure you include some sort of meat in every meal possible. I could go without meat but now I make an effort to have protein for lunch and dinner at least in the form of grilled meats.

I have a hard time too putting more protein in my diet lol.

I like egg white salad--6 egg white, 2 Tbs of FF Miracle Whip, topped with lots of lettuce and tomatoes, salt and pepper.

I also love shrimp patties, hummus patties and salmon patties. They take a little prep but you can freeze them and have them on hand.

ETA: no red meats here either--lemme know if you want help with the shrimp or salmon patties--freezing them uncooked works best

109g of protein is more then enough for someone at your weight, why do you feel you need more? RDA is .8 for every kg of body weight. Take 152/2.2 to convert = 69*.8 = 55 grams is all you really need and you're getting twice that.

Here's a list (originally posted by BlueToBlue) of vegetarian protein sources:

• yogurt (20g per serving, depending on the brand)
• cottage cheese (14g per serving depending on the brand)
• tofu (7g per serving). Try pressing the water out and sauteeing it or marinating it and then baking it. If you live near a Trader Joe's, they sell baked tofu that is fabulous and has 16g protein per serving.
• eggs or egg whites (6g per serving). Make yourself an egg-white omelet and add some reduced fat cheese for some more protein. Or I sometimes take a hard-boiled egg and mix the yolk with dijon mustard to make a sort of deviled egg.
• oatmeal (5g per serving) or oat bran (up to 7g per serving, depending on the brand)
• low carb wrap with one wedge laughing cow cheese (7.5g protein)
• low carb wrap with refried beans (12g protein). Add a laughing cow cheese wedge for an extra 2.5g protein.
• Does tuna count as meat for you? If not, a can of bumblebee sensations sun-dried tomato tuna has 18g of protein and makes a great snack.
• 1 tbsp SnacLite Power PB (6g protein). Stir it into your oatmeal or eat it on a slice of high fiber bread.
• Trader Joe's also sells egg-white salad that is fabulous and has 7g to 9g protein per serving, depending on which variety you buy (they have three, spicy ranchero, chive, and salmon and dill)
• Yogurt Vegetable Salad: 1/4 cup yogurt, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 2.5 oz diced cucumber, 1.5 oz halved cherry tomatoes (use sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red pepper if fresh cherry tomatoes aren't available), 1/4 cup chickpeas, 1 tbsp minced fresh basil or mint, sea salt and pepper to taste. 85 calories and 9g protein.

Some things I personally do to up protein consumption: add a scoop of chocolate protein powder to plain non-fat yogurt (tastes like chocolate pudding); stir a serving of non-fat fruit yogurt into a serving of cottage cheese.

Fress, the Yogurt Veggie Salad sounds fantastic!

Fress,

All those ideas sound amazing. Thanks so much!

I'm not sure why calorie king gave me that recommendation. But I haven't come close to it at all. I've been hovering around 70 or 80 grams a day.

It does! I haven't tried it yet, but it's on my list of things to do.


You're welcome! And a shout out for BluetoBlue, the original poster of these suggestions.

i was watching the biggest loser last night, and they were talking about protien. i use to have a hard time getting enought in, but now im okay...

this is just some ideas..

egg whites in the morning( ilike mine with alittle feta cheeze)
tuna..the flavored tuna in a can is easy and convient for me
pre cut up chicken breast slices
yougurt
alomonds..went and bought a big bag, then divided it into serving sizes into small baggies, and keep them in the glove capartment in the van.

hummus and veggies
and low fat meats
salmon is good, plus you get your good oils to
ceral
milk

im favorite is the protien shakes ive been taking..they have 130 calories with 20 grams of protien and only 1 grams sugar..and they taste awasom

hope this helps

I'd recommend doing way more research instead of just relying on a calorie counting site. It's your health after all! There are negatives to too much protein (just like too much of anything). I certainly would lose sleep over it with the amount you're getting.

I wanted to add my spark people gives me a range of 60-127 grams of protein a day- so the min. is 60...

I know you are picky about meat, but do you like roast beef? I buy the fresh deli stuff and have that as a snack.

Some of the other things mentioned I do as well - my staples are yoghurt (FAGE), cottage cheese, hardboiled egg/egg whites, chicken (I know you don't like chicken), roast beef, shrimp, surimi (fake crab), beans (black, pinto, chickpeas), smoked salmon. I'm iffy on tuna, but mixed in with the right thing I'll use that too. Nuts are good, but you have to be careful with them (I literally have to count out how many nuts I'm going to eat and then put the rest away!)

I just worked out that yoghurt - chickpea salad above in the metric system and figured out the points - I am SO going to make that next week!!!

Kind of off topic, but thought I'd share considering the results you got from Calorie King, which I love, but I think they are giving you a max, and that is just crazy!

This is what my Diet Analysis Plus software says, and granted its a couple of years old, but it's really cool, and totally worth purchasing. I took nutrition a couple of years ago and my teacher was a dietitian. Our book came with the software, and she said it was just as good as the software they work with in her field. Once you upload it to your computer you never need it again, and I dont even think there is a registration key, so if anyone it interested, I'm willing to send their way. I have it on my computer at work, and at home, and I can plug in all my foods through the day from a list of foods already in there, or I can simply plug in the nutrition label and it tracks everything that way. Then you can print weekly or monthly reports to see where you are it, it tracks ALLL of your vitamins (a, b, b12, potassium, etc.) not just fat, calories, and carbs. ITS NEAT! I love it, k sorry I get excited about it though!

anywho, here is my DRI(daily recommended intake), based on me at 150lbs, Active, and 29 years of age. This is just to maintain, so the calories are super high.

Calories 2334 kcal
Carbohydrates 263 - 379 g 45%-65% of kilocalories
Fat 52 - 91 g 20%-35% of kilocalories
Protein 58 - 204 g 10%-35% of kilocalories
Protein 54.43 g Daily requirement based on grams per kilogram of body weight

Here is the description of the Activity Levels...

You are "Sedentary" if you perform activities of daily living only.

You are "Low Active" if you perform activities of daily living and walk 2 miles per day or perform equivalent activities (such as light exercise or sports for up to 3 days each week).

You are "Active" if you perform activities of daily living and walk 7 miles per day or perform equivalent activities (such as moderate exerciser sports 3-5 days each week).

You are "Very Active" if you perform activities of daily living and walk 17 miles per day or perform equivalent activities (such as intensive athletic training or sports each day, or work in a job requiring intensive physical labor).

Hmm...

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm going to do some research later about other protein targets. Maybe 109g is on the high end. However, I'll use all the tips I got re: yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.

I do like roast beef, so that's a good thing.

Annie